Minisymposium Presentation

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have emerged as persistent environmental pollutants, posing significant risks to human health and ecosystems due to their extreme chemical stability (also known as forever chemicals) and bioaccumulation potential. Conventional remediation approaches, such as adsorption and degradation, have shown limited efficacy in fully eliminating PFAS from contaminated water sources. In this perspective talk, we want to explore and explain how applying nanoparticle-based strategies could be a transformative solution for PFAS mitigation. We will discuss the application of iron oxide magnetic clusters for PFAS remediation and address the remaining gaps in the literature. A comprehensive understanding of PFAS-specific adsorption mechanisms, particularly at the molecular level, where computational approaches could provide deeper insights, is needed. Most functionalization strategies focus on simple surface modifications, while dual-functionalized or stimuli-responsive coatings remain underexplored. PFAS molecules exhibit amphiphilic properties. Current functionalization strategies often rely solely on electrostatic interactions, which may be effective for long-chain PFAS but fail to efficiently capture short-chain PFAS, which are more hydrophilic and challenging to remove.Strategies such as coatings incorporating pH-responsive polymers can facilitate pH-controlled PFAS desorption. Also, light-sensitive materials, such as azobenzene-functionalized surfaces, could enable PFAS capture.